Grandma Altman

This photo taken by the Charleston staff at one of their recent activities pretty much says it all. Grandma is sad much of the time. She lives in a constant state of confusion. It saddens us to see Grandma's mental capacity decline so rapidly. She is no longer able to recognize David quickly. She struggles to communicate, finding it difficult to put words together with any sort of meaning. She is agitated much of the time and has a multitude of worries that she is unable to articulate other than to say; “I don’t know what to do”. It breaks our heart to see her suffer so much. We are grateful for sweet little Frieda, a resident who has taken Grandma under her wing and provides much needed friendship. This week Frieda asked me for a life history so that she could read about Mildred. Grandma has been unable to share any of her life experiences with her friends.

Grandma is tired, and wants to return home to be with her family on the other side. On occasion I will catch Grandma in a moment when her eyes are bright blue and her spirit sparkles through. I cherish those moments!